The Great Uprising of 1877

The Great Uprising of 1877, also known as the Railroad Strike of 1877, was a major nationwide labor protest in the United States. It started when railroad workers struck to protest wage cuts and poor working conditions. The strike spread across multiple states, causing transportation disruptions and economic turmoil. Employers and authorities responded with violence, hiring troops to break the strikes. It highlighted widespread worker frustrations and inequalities in the rapidly industrializing nation, and is considered a significant early labor movement that eventually contributed to improvements in workers’ rights and labor laws.